Crying Out of the Depths (Psalm 130)

 Sermon “Crying Out of the Depths”

This psalm begins in despair. There is hope at the end, but you can tell that the psalmist is going through some tough stuff.

This is not the only psalm like this; many of the psalms are psalms of lament. They are expressions of pain. Anguish. Sorrow. Despair.

I have heard cries of despair, similar to the cries of the psalmists, from folks struggling with their sexuality or gender identity. I have heard them cry out of the depths to God, longing to be heard, begging to be accepted, to be known, to be loved… or, in some cases, they have begged for God to change them, because they hadn’t yet learned to love and accept themselves as they are.

And they, like the psalmist, waited for God to answer. And they waited for change to come. Their souls waited for the Lord.

And they waited for the church to offer them a word of hope. But the church offered only condemnation, or silence.

The church has been a source of pain and anguish for so many. It breaks my heart to say that. 

When it comes to sexuality, the church has allowed its own fears, prejudices and biases to taint how it presents the gospel, and how it presents scripture. 

As many of you are well aware, the church has taken a few randomly scattered Bible verses, misinterpreted them, and has blown them up in prominence way out of proportion in relation to the overall gospel message, with devastating results.

You know the verses I’m talking about. If you were a part of the Open and Affirming process here a few years ago, you studied them in depth. 

There are several in the Old Testament, and several in the New Testament, and I don’t have time in this sermon to examine each one of them in detail, but simply put, they don’t say what people often think they say.

Generally speaking, the Old Testament scriptures are about rape. The story of Sodom, for example, is about rape. It’s about the unwanted abuse inflicted on two people from another region, in violation of the ancient code of hospitality. 

The gender of the people in this story really doesn’t matter. If you’re raped and abused by someone, it’s horrible whether that person is of the same gender as you or not. If the perpetrators in this story were of the opposite sex of the victims, would this rape and abuse be acceptable? No! So to say that these verses are about homosexuality completely misses the point.

Likewise, in the New Testament, the actions condemned are, generally, acts between two people who are not equal in status. An adult male and a young boy, for example; or a master and a slave. Situations where the person of lower status had no ability or power to refuse or say no.

And again, that’s something that is offensive and deplorable, regardless of the gender of the people involved. Whether the sexual act is between people of the same gender or people of opposite genders doesn’t matter: rape and coercion and abuse are always wrong, regardless of gender.

These verses are about the abuse and misuse of power. They are about failing to protect the vulnerable. To say that these verses condemn homosexuality as we understand it completely misses the point.

And yet, so many Christians have said and still say that homosexuality is what these verses are about. It’s just one example of people misinterpreting, twisting the meaning of scripture in order to justify their own prejudice and bigotry. 

It’s the same thing that slave owners did in the first half of the 19th century: Find some verses that appear to support their own opinions, ignore the context of those verses, and slap them on to a modern situation that those verses really weren’t intended to address and that they really don’t apply to.

And the pain and trauma caused by such Biblical misinterpretation is why it’s so important that we celebrate Pride in worship. The pain and trauma caused by such Biblical misinterpretation is why it’s important that we boldly state that we are an Open and Affirming congregation.

Because, as I said, there are many who, like the psalmist, are right now crying out of the depths, crying out in despair, crying out to God, wondering how God could have possibly made them the way they are. They’ve been told, repeatedly, by people they trust, by people in positions of authority, that God condemns them for being who God made them to be. 

And they’re trying to love God, and they’re trying to love Jesus… but the church has told them NO. You are not acceptable. You are not loved. God hates you. God condemns you. God is sending you to hell.

And I can’t imagine what it must be like, growing up, hearing that message, wanting with all my heart to love Jesus, to follow Jesus, yet believing that Jesus doesn’t love me. Not unless I change who I am. Not unless I become something other than the person God created me to be.

I’ve met too many people who do believe that, or who have believed that at one point in their lives. I’ve had too many people come to me and tell me that they just can’t let go of the guilt and the shame.

I do my best to assure them that God loves them, that God loves all of who they are, that God has no intention of sending them to hell, but it’s hard to undo a lifetime of them hearing other voices, other pastors, teachers, politicians, and parents, all telling them otherwise. That message of condemnation has penetrated too deeply into them. 

So they need to hear, not just once, not just twice, but over and over and over again, that God does love them. They need to hear it from us, over and over and over again, that God does love them.

They need to hear it from people who love Jesus and who love them. They need to hear it over and over and over again, until they finally are able to believe what is actually true: that God does love them, and God does accept them, and that God does affirm the person who they are.

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The word gospel literally means “good news.” Many of you know that. So any message the church preaches should be good news. It should be good news especially to those who have been hurt, to those who have been traumatized, to those who have had very little good news preached to them in their lives.

But for too many, the version of the gospel that has been preached to them has been nothing but bad news. 

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I don’t know what the exact situation of the psalmist was, that he was in such despair. In some of the other psalms of lament, the psalmist speaks of being thrown into a pit, sinking in the mud, in the mire, in the muck, with the water coming up to their chest, their neck, over their head. They are drowning in their suffering, in their sorrow, and they can’t hold on much longer.

And I know that there are people in our world today, who have been tossed into that pit, with the mud, the muck, the mire, rising up over their heads.

There are people who are no longer with us, because the words of prejudice and hate turned into actions of hate and violence.

And there are people who are no longer  with us because of the harassment and the condemnation they received; it was all too much, and they couldn’t go on another day.

There are people who are no longer with us because of the harassment and condemnation they received from the church. 

They were made to feel shame, and that shame was too much. It was too great a burden. And all those words of condemnation came up, rose up to their chest, to their neck, and over their head, and they couldn’t keep their head above the surface, because the weight, the burden, was just too much.

And I mourn and I grieve over each and every one. And I lament the role the church has played in all this.

But I also know that there are people who ARE here today, because someone said IT’S OKAY. IT gets better. I’M WITH YOU. I AFFIRM YOU. I’LL FIGHT FOR YOU. I love you. 

There are people who are here today who thought they wouldn’t be, people who saw no future for themselves, until someone said: Hey! You are a beloved child of God, beautiful and precious in God’s sight. God loves everything about you, just as you are. … and so do I.

And, praise God! They came to believe that these words of affirmation were true. And they chose to live another day.

And there are people who are here today because they heard in church a message of love, of affirmation, of hope, and that was enough to make them decide to stick around for another day. 

And that is a miracle! If you are one of those people, YOU are a miracle. And I am so glad you are here. Your presence is a blessing. YOU are a blessing. Everything about you is a blessing. And I am so thankful for you.

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This is why it’s important for us to have a Pride Sunday, a Pride worship, because the gospel that is good news has been turned into bad news for too many, and we need to reclaim the true gospel and proclaim that good news. 

We need to let the world know that God does rescue, God does redeem, God does save; and that the hope people cling to is not a false hope. 

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In the 2nd chapter of Philippians, there’s a verse that says: “In the midst of your enemies, shine like stars.” Shine like stars! This brings glory to God. Let the light in you shine brightly. Don’t let anyone dim your sparkle. 

When God created you, God put God’s own image within you. That sparkle in you is holy. It is divine. It is sacred. 

As the psalmist says: You are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

As Zephaniah says: the one who created you will rejoice over you with gladness and with singing. That’s incredible! We gather every Sunday to sing God’s praises, but, according to Zephaniah, God is also singing your praises. God is also rejoicing over you. You bring joy to God, just by being you; just by being who God created you to be.

This is the heart of the gospel: God loves you. You are loved.

It's all about love. A love that is complete. Whole. Unconditional. Radically inclusive. Affirming. All-encompassing.

It’s all about love.

And that’s the gospel truth.

"Power to Redeem" (Psalm 130)

I did something this week that I’ve never done before since becoming pastor at Bixby Knolls Christian Soda.

I bought myself a soda from our soda machine.

I bought it, but I didn’t drink it. In fact, it’s right here, unopened.

I bought it because I wanted to see what was printed on the top of the can: here, right next to the tab, are the letters CA CRV.

Do you know what those letters stand for?

They stand for “California Cash Refund Value” or “Cash Redemption Value.”

I bought this can because of that word, “redemption.” It’s a very good word, a good biblical word.

Scripture talks about redemption. The psalm we heard a moment ago, Psalm 130, says that, with God, there is great power to redeem. Redeem is the word redemption in verb form.

This can has a redemption value. I paid 75 cents for this can of soda; however, five of those cents went to the state. I can redeem those five cents if I recycle this can.

To redeem means to reclaim, to get back what’s mine.

In the Bible, the word redeem means the same thing, except that instead of redeeming nickels, it talks about redeeming lives.

In ancient times, a person who falls into a difficult financial situation with no way out could sell himself to another, to be that person’s slave, to work as a slave in order to pay off his debt.

However, a relative may redeem them; that is, a relative may pay what is owed – the redemption price – and reclaim the one who sold himself into slavery.

So to redeem a person means to buy them back so that they could once again be free.

When the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, it was God who redeemed them by sending the plagues and reclaiming them from Pharaoh’s hand. It did cost God quite a lot to redeem Israel; after all, even Egyptians are children of God. But in the face of oppression, God chose to redeem those who were oppressed.

At the time of the Roman Empire, the Jews in Israel and Palestine were oppressed. Technically they weren’t slaves, but the oppressive economic policies enacted by Rome kept them in a slave-like state in which they were forced to work hard but could not enjoy the fruits of their labor. Jesus came to redeem them, to reclaim them, which he did by healing, feeding, and inaugurating a new kingdom, the kingdom of God.

It all works the same way with you and God. You belong to God. We all belong to God. God has claimed us as his own.

But other things pull us away from God…

Consumerism is one of those things. Our lives have been given over to corporations who want to claim us as their own. The corporations work hard to convince us that owning a new car of a certain brand is of utmost importance. When I give in to them, a new car becomes a statement of who I am. It’s no longer just a mode of transportation to get me from one place to another; it’s a reflection of my identity. My identity becomes joined to the car and to the brand.

And that’s how the brand “owns” me.

The same thing is true for the brand-name clothes we wear, the electronics we use, the purses and bags we carry. Everything from shoes to glasses to where we go on vacation – how often do we make these types of purchasing decisions based on the brand, regardless of any practical use or benefit?

You can’t escape it. I can’t escape it. I need God to redeem me from the sway and influence these things have over my life. I need God to reclaim me from these influences which exert far too much control over me.

Here is another power that has claimed far too many people: fear.

Now I will grant you, there is a lot to be afraid of today. My own list of fears includes nuclear war, earthquakes, the safety of my family, the future of the church, and whether or not a particular pair of pants makes my butt look too big or too small.

Fear can consume us and overpower us. It can make us retreat into the past and dread the future. It can cause us to circle the wagons, and cast out of the circle anyone who is different. It can cause us to close the gates and lock the doors to friends, neighbors, outsiders and immigrants.

The most repeated phrase in scripture is FEAR NOT. Good thing, too. We need to hear that message over and over, because all the messages we get from society tell us that we should fear.

We anticipate and expect fear. The headline appears – BREAKING NEWS – and even before we know what it is, we get an awful feeling in our stomach, and we just have to keep watching to find out more.

This week, CNN headlines included: “Scariest Jet Landings Ever.” This was followed by a story about killer escalators in China.

On the Fox News website I saw this headline: “Is America Becoming Barbaric?”

And people watch this, and they think, “Oh my God!”

And we’re captive. Captive to fear. Captive to corporate news organizations that care more about keeping you captive than about actually informing you.

And then there’s all the “news” that is designed to make you fear anyone who is different: immigrants. Muslims. Homosexuals. African-Americans.

As a result, we live in a world where some lives matter more than other lives: rich lives matter more than poor lives, white lives matter more than black lives. When Sam Dubose was pulled over because he was missing a front license plate, the police officer pulled his gun on him, shot him, and murdered him. The officer’s own chief condemned the killing. Yet when NBC News showed the police officer’s picture, they showed one in which he was in his uniform standing in front of an American flag; and when they showed Sam Dubose’s picture, it looked like a mugshot. Why did they use Sam Dubose’s mugshot, but not the mugshot of the man accused of murdering him?

This is the world we live in, the world that claims us, brainwashes us, controls us and holds us captive. But God has the power to redeem, and God will reclaim us and save us from this world.

We live in a world that profanes, exploits, and destroys God’s wonderful creation. Scripture refers to the goodness of creation, and calls us to compassion, yet we not only pollute and destroy the earth, we also do it in a way that disproportionately affects the poor and ethnic minorities. Hazardous waste facilities are kept away from wealthy white neighborhoods, but are located in the midst of poor, ethnic communities. 

This is the world we live in, the world that claims us, brainwashes us, controls us, and holds us captive. But God has the power to redeem, and God will reclaim us and save us from this world.

We live in a nation where 100,000 people are shot every year, 32,000 of them dying, including more than 17,000 children shot and 2500 children dying by gun violence. Names like Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Tucson, Charleston, and others form a litany of tragedy and lament.

This is the world we live in, the world that claims us, brainwashes us, controls us, and holds us captive. But God has the power to redeem, and God will reclaim us and save us from this world.

We live in a nation where one out of five adults and teens experience mental illness in a given year, yet many do not seek help because of the stigma, because the church has been silent, because they do not know where to get help; and so they live without the care and the help that could benefit them and their families. This lack of knowledge and the stigma keeps many from living lives of wholeness, and for some, ends in suicides that could have been prevented. Many of the people in jail or prison suffer from mental illness; instead of helping them find treatment, we lock them up. There is a terrible lack of understanding and compassion.

This is the world we live in, the world that claims us, brainwashes us, controls us, and holds us captive. But God has the power to redeem, and God will reclaim us and save us from this world.

And just how is God going to do that? How will God’s power to redeem manifest itself?

Through us.

It has already begun!

These issues that I’ve mentioned were all addressed at the General Assembly of our denomination when it met last month in Ohio. The Assembly approved resolutions on: black lives matter, environmental racism, gun violence, and on welcoming and supporting people with mental health illness. 

I’m particularly proud of my son Ethan, who briefly told his story to the entire Assembly in support of the resolution on mental health, and helped ensure the Assembly’s unanimous support of that resolution. God is using him and all of us in the church to redeem the world from the powers that have us in their grasp.

General Assembly resolutions are not laws that we in the church must obey; rather, they are calls to action. When the Assembly approves a resolution, it is saying to the church and to society: this is an important issue, one that we should reflect on and act on.

We should reflect and act on black lives matter. We should reflect and act on environmental racism. We should reflect and act on gun violence. We should reflect and act on mental health issues…and let God’s power to redeem flow through us.

It’s time to redeem people from the brokenness of the world. It’s time to get involved, speak out, act out, in Long Beach and Lakewood and Signal Hill and California and America.

That’s what God calls us to do. That’s how God’s power to redeem will manifest itself in our world.